LOS ANGELES—The good folks at Funny or Die are aware that Measure B was passed by county voters two weeks ago, so their most recent satire, "Thank You From the Porn Industry," would probably have had more of an impact if it had been released before the election. But with a lawsuit against the measure already in the works, it can't hurt to keep LA County voters laughing at the stupidity of requiring adult performers to wear rubber gloves and face shields—which is just what "Thank You From the Porn Industry" succeeds in doing.
The safe-for-work video features Vivid Entertainment Group CEO Steve Hirsch explaining how Vivid goes "the extra mile" to protect its performers not only from STDs, but from all types of workplace injuries that could occur during a sex scene—and hey, they've even hired an expert to make sure the actors are following all the rules.
For instance, when Bailey Blue attempts to jack off Michael Vegas, the expert, fearing possible carpal tunnel syndrome, requires her to use a wrist brace, which coincidentally covers the palm of her hand with Velcro mesh—not exactly a fabric most people would want rubbing briskly on their cock. And when Veruca James' "love swing" is too close to the wall, the expert orders her to wear a helmet for protection against bruising.
"Thank you, LA voters, for helping us in adult entertainment help ourselves," states Hirsch ironically after protective gear causes a botched sex scene. "It's always been safe... but this sucks!"
"Steven's been on Funny or Die before—we've done three or four videos for them—so they got in touch with [publicist] Jackie [Martin] and Jackie put them in touch with me, and that's how it happened," recounted Vivid VP Marci Hirsch. "They came up with idea, they sent us the script, Steven read the script, I sent it to [attorney Paul] Cambria before they shot anything, and Steven agreed to do it, and I helped get the rest of the performers for them, and the shoot went off without a hitch; they were really fast. They're great and fun to work with."
Though a similar video was released about two weeks before the election, Hirsch himself seemed less clear about the satirical value of the piece, telling AVN, "Although Measure B is a serious matter, we can still take some time to make fun of ourselves."
Perhaps he's forgotten how political satire has changed the course of world events, as in the case of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, which critics have hailed as a satirical reflection on the shortcomings of Enlightenment thought, or Tom Lehrer songs like So Long Mom (A Song for World War III) which became an anthem of the anti-war movement.
